Ushio Okazaki's First Year of High School
by LilsNightlock
Summary: Soooo this is all about Ushio Okazaki's first year at high school! Follow Ushio as she makes new friends through her first year and maybe even falls in love... Disclaimer: I do not own Clannad or Clannad After Story. UshioxOC
1. Chapter 1

**So! This is my first Clannad fanfiction, about Ushio in High School. Disclaimer: I do not own Clannad or Clannad After Story! It's not got the same plot as either of them, but a couple of the same characters. Anyway... I don't know if I'll have any motivation to continue, but here you go! :D **

* * *

'When are you going to try out for the drama club then? You're amazing at it, you really need to have a go.'  
'Whatever you say,' muttered Ushio in reply, 'but the chances of me getting into the drama club are zero to none. _Such _a big margin, isn't it?'  
The boy, leaning casually against a chair next to her, grinned as he watched Ushio attempt to stuff her schoolbooks into her bag. 'No, I'm sure you will. The fact that your parents founded it is an added bonus.' he assured her, and then moved over to her side to gently take the books from her hands. 'Here, you're rubbish at that. Let me.'  
'Yeah yeah,' replied Ushio, stepping back to let the boy effortlessly slip the books into her bag. She accepted it off him with a smile and they began walking out of the classroom and out towards the gates of the school. Ushio was fairly short, with long brown hair and chestnut-coloured eyes, and petite features. She very much resembled her mother, Nagisa Okazaki (or Furukawa), who had been to the same high school as Ushio had recently entered, bar her long hair and lack of the strange little hair antennae that Nagisa had inherited. Her hair was also slightly darker than her mother's due to her father (Tomoya Okazaki)'s hair.  
Chieko Mitsuharu, however, was about a head taller than Ushio, with dark-red dyed hair. It fell in messy locks around his head, framing his tanned face and hazel eyes. He and Ushio had become friends almost as soon as their freshman year had started at the high school, after both being alone during their first class of the year. They had ended up working together on a project and had immediately found many things they had in common, but still weren't on a first-name basis.  
When they reached the front gates, Chieko turned the opposite way to Ushio. 'See you, Okazaki,' called Chieko over his shoulder, giving her a little wave.  
'Talk to you tomorrow, Mitsuharu!' Ushio shouted back, smiling, and turned to walk home.

'Hi, Ushio darling, did you have a nice day at school?' Nagisa Okazaki smiled at her daughter as the front door swung shut. She quickly resumed her cooking before adding, 'I'm making dumplings and slightly seasoned rice for tea. Your favourite!'  
Ushio grinned at her mother and discarded her bag on the floor, slipping off her shoes and saying, 'I'm home from school,' as was the tradition in their house - even if her parents already knew that she was there - then continuing with, 'I had a pretty good day. Mitsuharu spent most of the day trying to convince me to go to drama club. The truth is, I don't want to on my own... and Mitsuharu's really my only friend.'  
'You might make some new friends in drama club, you know,' replied Nagisa, momentarily looking up from her cooking. 'I did.'  
'But hadn't you already met Dad by then? Didn't he help you?'  
Nagisa paused for a minute, and then said dejectedly, 'You're right, he did... but it was still only because _he _had the courage to talk to _me_ in the first place. He might tell you different, but when we first met I wasn't actually speaking to _him_... I barely knew he was there. I suppose you turned out more like me, huh? You could just ask Mitsuharu to join with you. I'm sure he would.'  
'He might,' replied Ushio, sounding unconvinced. 'I would ask a few of my old friends, but none of them are in my classes and we've kind of grown apart after almost a semester.'  
'Yes, that was unlucky. Why don't you do your homework, have a think about it, and then sleep on it? You can tell Dad and I what you decide tomorrow morning.'  
'Right.'  
The evening was uneventful: doing homework; eating dinner; and lounging around with her mother and father doing nothing in particular - that was how Ushio spent it. True to her word, she spent almost the whole time trying to make a decision, and in the morning her head seemed a little clearer.  
As Tomoya quickly ate his breakfast before going to work, and Nagisa began putting away dishes from the night before, Ushio made her final decision. _I'll try it, _she thought, _and I'm going to make all of them proud - including Mitsuharu - by going all by myself._


	2. Chapter 2

Ushio hesitated just outside the large, sliding doors that led to the Drama club room. Her throat went dry as she stood stock-still, her feet feeling as though they were glued to the floor, and braced herself to knock. Thoughts rushed through her head as she raised a clenched fist.  
_What if they don't like me?  
But you promised.  
Well, for Mitsuharu's sake... and my parents...  
Exactly! You have to do it! Knock! KNOCK!  
Okay! I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna knock! I'm gonna-_  
Just as Ushio was about to knock as hard as possible on the door, finally having gathered enough strength, the door was flung open and a tall boy smashed head-on into her. 'Oooow!' She cried, as the boy stood on her foot in his attempt to recollect his posture.  
'Oh, oh jeez, I'm so sorry...' she heard him mumble as he brushed off his knees. Then he looked up.  
To the new boy, Ushio was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He steadied himself as she stepped back a little and smiled nervously up at him.  
'I... I'm sorry, did I get in your way?' she stuttered, thinking that her chances of getting into the Drama club had been ruined in an instant. What had she done?! There was no way they'd let her in now! To her complete and utter surprise, the boy just smiled sheepishly down at her and stepped aside.  
'No, no, I should be the sorry one...' he mumbled, scratching the back of his head and motioning for her to go in. He had deep ocean-blue coloured hair, styled in a way that's hard to describe (but if you really want to know, it looked a little like Sunohara's hair). His eyes were a muddy green and they shone in the light from the corridor. He smiled his brightest smile possible at Ushio and added, 'Go on, go on in!'  
Ushio smiled nervously back (again), oblivious to his thoughts about her, and stepped into the dim Drama room. She loved the musty smell of old Drama costumes and passion that it brought with it, but she couldn't see why it was so dim, until somebody whispered, 'Come on, come and sit down...'  
...From the floor.  
Suddenly Ushio was jolted back into the real world, and she noticed that a TV was on in the corner, displaying some kind of play, and that everyone else - about 5 other people - were sitting on the floor. She turned to see the doors slide shut and the mysterious boy slip out. She let out a tiny cough.  
'Uuum... I'm here to...'  
'Shh...' whispered the same voice again, '...just sit down and watch.'  
Ushio saw she had no choice and awkwardly sat next to the disembodied voice. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she could make out that it was a girl sitting next to her. She was about to speak, but decided at the last second to just watch like she had been told instead. Her head turned towards the screen.  
_Wait a second... I know that voice.  
_On the screen was her mother's only recorded play, and as she watched she could see Nagisa moving across the stage and speaking so powerfully, loudly, and clearly. All Ushio could do was watch in awe as the play continued. She was barely even listening to what Nagisa was saying.  
_I want to be just like that..._  
The play went on, and the Drama room was completely silent but for Nagisa's strong, solitary voice and the beautiful but sad music that played gently behind it. When the screen eventually went blank, someone nudged Ushio's side and the mysterious boy's face appeared before hers.  
'Hey,' he grinned, 'I've got snacks!'


	3. Chapter 3

**Just had to make some edits, so I'm re-uploading this chapter! :)  
**

* * *

The lights were abruptly flicked on and Ushio jumped up from her seat on the floor. The tension was unbearable for her and she felt that she needed to make herself known, right then and there. 'H-hello!' She exclaimed, her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her fists clenched just below her chin. 'I'm here to join you! I've been trying to for ages! And I just need to know if you'll have me.'  
When she heard no response, only silence, Ushio nervously opened her eyes and looked up, her face flooding red as she saw everyone looking at her in surprise (except the mysterious boy she had met outside the door, who just had a funny dreamy sort of look on his face). As well as him, there were two girls and three other boys dotted around the room. One of the girls had purple hair, and another of them had strange silver-coloured hair that shone in the light of the lamps. There was a boy with brown hair, like her, another with blue hair like the mysterious boy's hair, and the third had bleached-blonde hair like she knew her mother and father's friend Youhei Sunohara used to have. Ushio ignored the mysterious boy - she knew he didn't mind her being there - and instead turned to the girl with long, dark purple-coloured hair that curled inwards at around her waist. Her purple eyes sparkled with authority and her school blazer bore the blue Senior badge of the high school. _Okay, _thought Ushio, _This girl must be the leader of the Drama club. She's kinda scary... I wish I'd have brought Mitsuharu with me now like Mom _**(side-note: it was so weird to write 'Mom', because I'm British, but we'll stick with it because Nagisa calls Sanae 'Mom',) **_suggested..._  
Suddenly, the purple-haired girl put her hands on her hips and exclaimed, 'Why do you think we should accept _you _into the Drama club?!'  
Ushio was quite taken-aback at this, and stood in shocked silence at the girl's harsh tone. She slowly looked around to the mysterious boy, the only person who had been nice to her so far in the room. He just gave her a slight smile and nodded. _Ohhh... _thought Ushio, turning back to the purple-haired girl with more confidence than before. _So it's a test._  
Ushio regained her composure and put on her most confident voice possible to begin her little act. 'I bow my head to you, Drama club leader. I am here to join your club because I have always wanted to act. In elementary school, and ever since I can remember, I have always had one of the top acting roles. My friends and my family think it would benefit me greatly to take part in your club. And, in case you want to know...' Ushio paused for effect, hoping that her last add-on would secure her the deal, 'My father was the director of that play on the television we watched just now. And my mother was the actress on-screen. Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa. My name is Ushio Okazaki.'  
The purple-haired girl, whose name was Kimiko Oshiro, was rather surprised at Ushio's outburst, as all the other members appeared to be. She stood in silence for a minute, and then began laughing. 'Well, you _are_ quite the good little actress! We only have one other freshman in this club, Kentaro Ijiri over there,' she nodded at the mysterious boy, who wasn't quite as mysterious anymore and stood with his arms laden with snacks, 'but you're welcome to join if you wish! We don't get many applications... or, good ones at least... so we're happy to have you! My name is Kimiko Oshiro.'  
'Well... well thank you, Oshiro! I'm glad to finally be a part of this. I've been putting it off all semester...' replied Ushio, pleased with herself and honoured to have been a 'good one'. _Mitsuharu, Mom and Dad are going to be so proud of me! _Thought Ushio excitedly. _I can't wait to tell them!_  
The boy with bleached-blonde hair suddenly stepped in and took her hand. He shook it vigorously as Kentaro stood watching, sudden jealousy flooding through him. 'H-hi!' Stuttered Ushio, taken-aback for about the tenth time that day.  
'Hi!' Replied the blonde-haired boy, letting go of her hand and stepping back slightly. 'You haven't been introduced to many of us yet, and I'm the one in charge of that! I mean, job opportunities don't come very often, so you can see why I'm kind of excited... yeah. Sorry about that.'  
Ushio laughed and shook her head. 'It's okay, I don't mind.'  
The blonde-haired boy smiled thankfully and said, 'I'm Kazuo Aihara, and I'm in my Junior year here. It's great to meet you and have you in our club! Over there...'  
Ushio watched and listened carefully as Kazuo pointed out each person, except those she already knew. The silver-haired girl who had soft orange-y eyes was called Cho Matsukata. The boy with brown hair, who had green eyes, was called Shinzo Ishida (a senior), and the final boy, who had blue hair and purple-coloured eyes, was called Takuro Kumagai (he was also a senior).  
'Wow,' Ushio laughed, 'That's quite a few names to remember... sorry if I forget any of them in these first few meetings...'  
'It's okay, Okazaki,' replied Kentaro with a grin. 'We've all been there.'  
'Thanks, Ijiri. Are you okay holding all those snacks?'  
'I'll help him,' said the girl, Cho, in a sweet little voice. She was in her second year like Kazuo, Ushio noticed, by her red Junior badge. Cho walked over to Kentaro and gently took a few bottles from his hands as he stood nervously hopping from foot-to-foot. He knew Cho liked him, but he didn't want Ushio to think that they were together - because they weren't.  
'Hey, Ushi- I mean, Okazaki,' he said, trying to turn the attention away, 'you want any snacks? Just come and grab some.'  
'Oh, okay,' Ushio replied happily, dismissing the fact that he had almost called her by her first name - she thought he must just have forgotten. 'I'd be happy to!'  
When the Drama club for that day finished, which it eventually had to, of course, Ushio was quite saddened - but she couldn't wait to tell Mitsuharu what she had done.  
'Chieko! Chieko!' She cried, as she skipped into her next class after lunch, so happy she didn't realise she was calling him by his first name.  
'Calling by firsts now, huh?' he grinned, as she flopped down at the desk beside him. He shook some of his deep red hair out of his eyes and looked at her carefully. 'Guess I should start calling you Ushio then?'  
Ushio suddenly realised what she'd done, but just smiled in return. 'Well, I suppose we've known each other for nearly a whole semester, so why not?'  
'I suppose so,' laughed Chieko; a laugh which turned into a broad grin. 'Anyway, what are you so happy about? No, no, lemme guess... you joined the Drama club!'  
'Hey! I wanted to tell YOU that! Not you tell me what I did!' Exclaimed Ushio, playfully punching him in the arm. 'But yeah, I did. It's amazing! And they're all so nice.'  
'And you were scared at first... don't need me to join anymore, then?'  
'Well they'd appreciate new members, and it'd be awesome if you joined, but you don't have to.'  
'Okay then. Well, I'll think about it, but I might focus more on schoolwork.' replied Chieko, turning to stare out of the window. 'Exams are coming up. I don't wanna be moved out of your class next semester!'  
'Don't worry,' Ushio assured him, 'you won't be. You're much smarter than me! And if you did get sent down, I'd put in a formal complaint letter.'  
Chieko laughed. 'Thanks, Ushio. You always cheer me up. But I'll still wait to join the Drama club, if I do at all. Maybe sometime next semester, yeah?'  
'Okay,' nodded Ushio. 'Anyway, class is about to start.' she added, as their teacher walked in and stood, waiting for them to be quiet, in front of the blackboard.  
They fell silent as the lesson began, but Ushio's thoughts swirled to ones about the Drama club, putting on beautiful productions, and laughing with Chieko in the winter sun.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so this chapter isn't the MOST exciting chapter ever, but still I hope you enjoy it! Thanks SO much to ****_usuihentai727 _****and ****_FuzzyPurplePickle _****who are both following my story and reviewing! I'm so glad people enjoy my writing :D**

* * *

'Urgh,' mumbled Ushio, leaning over her homework with her head in one hand. In her opinion, homework was boring and she didn't really see the point of it at all - all day in school just to get homework? Not fair. 'I suppose you inherited that trait from me!' Her father would laugh. 'I never saw the point of homework, or even schoolwork, until I met your mother. At least you'll actually _do _your homework, unlike me!'  
_I could be learning my lines for the script right now, _thought Ushio irritably. _A much better use of my time. If I want to go into acting, what use is knowing how to draw a perfectly symmetrical portrait? I'm never going to use it._  
It had been a week since Ushio had joined the Drama club, and in that time she had been given a role in the play they were learning which had been previously unoccupied but played by Cho Matsukata (who was in fact in charge of music). There was also an extra male part, and Ushio often found herself wishing that Chieko would come and take it. Unfortunately, due to the upcoming exams, there was no chance of that. Chieko was studying as hard as possible for the exams. He was studying so much that Ushio was beginning to become slightly infuriated; he never hung out with her at breaks anymore, but went to the library. He never hung out with her after school anymore, but went home to study even more. And at the beginnings of class he barely spoke to her either, as he was too distracted by his work and revision. Ushio couldn't help thinking that he was over-exerting himself a bit too much. She replayed their conversation before Geography from the day before in her mind.  
_'Hey, Chieko, wanna come with me at lunch today instead of to the library? We can get some anpan. Come on, Chieko, you're there all the time.'  
Chieko waved his hand as if wafting her offer away. 'Maybe. Maybe another time.'  
Ushio frowned. It was strange to see her usually care-free friend so serious and absent-minded. Time for a test. 'Well, if you're sure, _Mitsuharu..._' she said casually, putting emphasis on Chieko's last name so that he would notice. She was hoping that he would notice and ask her why she had used his last name instead of his first. Unfortunately, she was disappointed.  
'Yeah, yeah, look Ush, I just need some time to study okay?'  
'You study all the time. You can talk to me for five minutes before the lesson starts. Come on, Chieko.'  
'Sorry Ushio.'  
Ushio just huffed in frustration and turned to moodily rest her head on the desk. _Surely exams can't be that big of a deal? _She thought, just as the teacher walked in.  
_Her pencil hit the desk with a clatter as Ushio sighed and pushed her art homework aside. 'Time to learn some of this script,' she muttered, for once not caring about finishing her homework. 'Let's see now...'  
A wad of papers were pulled out of her schoolbag as she rooted for the script. 'Aha!' Her character was called Euiko Marubeni, and only had a small part in the play; however, she was fine with this, as it was her first play in the Drama club. '"The Splendid Stranger",' murmured Ushio. '"The quiet, pretty town of Hikarizaka holds a secret. Michi Akemi has the perfect life working as a shopkeeper, and a wonderful boyfriend called Yuuta Nobuyuki. However, when she finds a peculiar blood-covered dagger in the school cellar, she finds that things at Hikarizaka aren't quite what they seem. At a Founder's Festival at her High School, she sights the murderer, Masashige Saromi, and goes on to meet Euiko Marubeni and the alluring, splendid Shiro Shou, who will help her solve the murder. Will she fall in love with Shiro and solve the murder with the help of her new found friends... all in the little time the Founder's Festival gives her?" Huh. Sounds pretty interesting.'  
Her eyes wandered to the cast list.

**Kentaro Ijiri - Yuuta Noboyuki  
Kimiko Oshiro - Michi Akemi  
Cho Matsukata - Music  
Kazuo Aihara - Masashige Saromi  
Shinzo Ishida - Shiro Shou**  
**Takuro Kumagai - Director**  
**Ushio Okazaki - Euiko Marubeni**

'Ah. So Matsukata doesn't actually act. To be fair she didn't strike me as the sort of person who acts. And Kumagai directs. I suppose it makes sense... he's a Senior, looks very collected and very organised... hm.'  
Ushio began to read through the script, slowly and carefully, and the evening dragged on into night. The full moon rose into the sky outside her bedroom window, and Ushio read the script once, twice, three times in total. By the end she knew the whole story off-by-heart, and most of her first lines. 'Wow, they're gonna be proud of me,' yawned Ushio as she closed the script and laid it on her desk. Her eyes drooped dangerously as she stretched and yawned, leaning back in her chair. And before she knew it, she was asleep.

* * *

**So yeah! Sorry about how short it is, but the next chapter should be longer ****_and _****more exciting for y'all... thanks for continuing reading!  
~LilsNightlock**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I've been releasing chapters rapidly for a few days now because I'm on a sudden streak of motivation, and I do have some plans for where this story is going (as well as one or two for if I did ****_another _****story afterwards about her Junior year, but that would be a while away from now!) so I'll probably keep it up. And even if I lose this motivation streak, I'll probably keep it up anyway - just maybe not releasing chapters so often! For now, though, I have no idea how long my streak will last, and I can't wait to start writing my next chapter too!**

* * *

Ushio sat aside as she watched Kentaro and Kimiko Oshiro act out the first scene in their play. She was extremely tired, and still slightly shocked by her late start that morning; her alarm clock hadn't woken her up after her late night, and she had slept on until her mother had eventually come in and gently shaken her awake. Cho Matsukata was sitting beside her, staring moodily at Kimiko behind a sheet of shiny silver hair as she pretended to be Kentaro's girlfriend.  
Ushio looked around just as Cho huffed and turned to face the opposite direction.  
'Hey,' said Ushio gently, 'are you okay? You look kinda down.'  
'Oh, it's nothing really, I just...' began Cho, but seemed to deflate even as she spoke. She turned to face Ushio. 'No. It's nothing. You... probably wouldn't understand anyway.'  
'I'm only a year younger than you, Matsukata.' replied Ushio, as calmly as she could but feeling a twinge of annoyance at being treated like a child. 'You still don't have to tell me. But would you please just remember that?'  
Cho looked at Ushio's earnest face in surprise and then suddenly smiled. It lit her whole face up and her orange-y eyes seemed to glow as she did so. Ushio realised at that moment that Cho really was very beautiful, and couldn't help but smile back.  
'I'm sorry,' said Cho apologetically. 'I really shouldn't have said that. Look, Okazaki, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about it, okay? I just wish _I _was the actor sometimes.'  
Ushio took this as just being because Cho wanted to act, which was true too; but only Cho knew the real reason. She glanced over at Kentaro as she said it.  
'Well...' replied Ushio thoughtfully, 'you could always try. If you practise hard, you might just be able to do it!'  
Cho shook her head sadly. 'No, I won't be able to. I had your part for a while, remember? Takuro said I was terrible at it, and so did Kimiko. I know myself that I can't act! But it doesn't matter. If all I can do is dream, then I will. It might come true one day... but not whilst Kimiko and Kumagai are around!'  
'Yes, Oshiro and Kumagai do seem to be very overpowering. I'm actually kind of scared of-'  
Ushio was abruptly cut off by the sound of Kimiko shouting at Kentaro. Heads around the room whirled to look at them as Kimiko snapped, 'Kentaro! _What_ is wrong with your acting today?! Your head seems well and truly in the clouds. Seriously, I've seen you do much better than this, what on earth is wrong?'  
'She's right,' added Takuro Kumagai, the director, 'you do seem a little off. You're bumbling around a lot and you don't look at all convincing as Kimiko's boyfriend.'  
Kentaro winced at the word 'boyfriend', nervously and briefly glancing over at Ushio's surprised face in the corner. Out of the corner of her eye, Ushio noticed Cho's face suddenly light up.  
_Did he just look at me?!_ Cho thought excitedly.  
Kentaro looked from Kimiko to Takuro and coughed slightly. 'I'm really sorry,' he mumbled, looking at the floor. 'I don't know what's gotten into me. I suppose I feel a bit ill.'  
'Whatever,' said Kimiko irritatedly, turning hotly to Takuro. 'Should we just act out the next scene? Kentaro evidently isn't up for it today.'  
'Right,' replied Takuro collectedly. 'Cho, would you mind coming and getting the music we discussed for this scene on?'  
'Oh,' said Cho, jumping up suddenly. 'Oh, sure!'  
As Cho hastily moved across the room to set the music up, Kentaro shuffled over and flopped into her abandoned chair next to Ushio.  
'Ah, jeez,' he mumbled, 'I'm sorry you had to see that. I really embarrassed myself out there...'  
'It's okay,' smiled Ushio back, 'everyone has their bad days. I think Oshiro overreacted a bit, and Kumagai was a little unfair. I don't think you were bumbling at all, and you acted alright to me.'  
Kentaro shifted uncomfortably in his chair. 'Well, thanks. I feel a bit better about the whole thing now. H-hey, do you want to hang out a bit after school? You seem like a really nice person, I'd love to be friends with you,' replied Kentaro, eager to change the subject.  
Ushio thought about Chieko and how much he'd been ignoring her recently. He was really her only proper friend in the High School, and she thought it might be fantastic to have more, especially at times like this, but nobody else had seemed to want to be her friend before Kentaro. After a minute of thought she made up her mind. 'Sure. It sounds like fun. I don't have many friends, and my best friend has been too busy to be with me much at the moment...'_  
_Kentaro smiled and Ushio liked the way he looked so happy. His muddy-green eyes stared into her hazel ones for a moment before flickering away again.  
'Isn't everyone here so great?' sighed Ushio, barely noticing. 'I'd like to be friends with all of you. Matsukata, you and Aihara especially, as you all seem really nice. I can't wait to see what Aihara looks like acting as the villain! I bet he's amazing!'  
'Yeah, Kazuo's pretty awesome, and he does make a _fantastic _villain, even though he's completely different in real life. Ishida, Shinzo Ishida over there, is cool as well, even though he's pretty quiet, and he's a really good actor too. You'll be working with him a lot later in the play.'  
'Ah yes, he's playing Shiro Shou, isn't he? The guy who Oshiro's character falls in love with. And your character gets pretty mad!' Laughed Ushio. Kentaro found himself laughing too; Ushio's sweet little laugh was infectious.  
'It'll be difficult getting mad at Ishida. He's just so easy to get along with-'  
Suddenly the bell rang, and interrupted their conversation and the acting. Ushio leapt up from her seat; she didn't want to be late, and she desperately wanted to talk to Chieko since she hadn't since the morning before. 'Looks like it's time to go!' Said Ushio happily. 'See you after school, Ijiri.' then, slightly louder, 'Bye everyone!'  
'See you, Okazaki,' said Kentaro quietly as they all waved goodbye. But inside he was cheering; he was friends with Ushio Okazaki!

* * *

**So there you go! Next chapter should be released soon :D  
~LilsNightlock**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Yep, here's another chapter! Just one thing before you start reading. Most of the characters' names in this are pretty easy to pronounce and basically said as written or how you'd think they'd be said, but Chieko is pronounced 'Chee-eck-oh'. One of my friends pronounced it wrong today so before my mind goes crazy I just have to set it straight! XD**

* * *

'Hey, Chieko. Chie **(pronounced 'Chee-é')**? CHIEKO!'  
'Huh? Oh. Hi, Ushio,' said Chieko, looking up from his work and brushing a strand of deep-red hair from his face. 'You okay?'  
Ushio sighed. 'Come on, Chieko, you've been working so hard. You barely noticed me just then.' She flopped down into her seat and began tapping her pencil on the desk. Chieko sat up straight and gazed over at her.  
'Sorry, but this is really important, Ush.'  
'How? Really, you say I'm smarter than you. Okay, fine, so what if I am? You'll easily pass these exams without _any _revision. It's not like you're not smart enough for this set or something.'  
'I can't just memorise stuff like you. I _have _to revise.'  
Ushio went quiet for a minute, staring at her desk, and Chieko just watched her in silence. The only sound between them was the tapping of Ushio's pen.  
'You didn't answer my question,' Ushio said suddenly, still staring absent-mindedly at her desk and leaning back in her chair. 'How is this so important? Who cares if you fail them? Sure, you'll get moved down a set. But we can still be best friends. We can still hang out at lunch, break, after school... so what's the problem?'  
For a minute or two, there was no response. Just silence. Ushio thought that Chieko must be thinking it over, and that he was going to come to his senses and agree. She was wrong.  
'Ushio.' said Chieko, suddenly and quietly. Ushio sat up properly and turned to look at him.  
'Yes?'  
'I'm revising so much because I _can't _not be in the same set as you. I wouldn't be able to bear it. You're my best and only friend at this school, and not being in the same class as you... it would be horrible. Just, please let me keep revising, and I'll pass the exams, and then I promise you I'll stop. Please.'  
Ushio sat there and blinked. Chieko's answer was completely unexpected, and she couldn't help but be slightly surprised but also happy at his response. It was lovely to have a friend like that.  
'Okay, fine... but only on one condition.' It was originally going to be two, but she decided at the last second not to bother him with the other one.  
'And what would that be?' grinned Chieko. It was fantastic to see his old self back, even for only a few minutes.  
'Next semester, for being such a jerk, you have to join the Drama club.'  
Chieko laughed, and his face lit up. 'Alright, alright. I will. I promise. Anyway, lesson's starting. Thanks, Ushio.'  
'No,' whispered Ushio as the teacher began talking, 'thank _you_.'  
She wasn't sure if Chieko heard her or not.

'Hey, Ijiri.' said Ushio. She walked up beside him and smiled up at him.  
'Oh, hey, Okazaki,' replied Kentaro, looking down at her. He hadn't been waiting long, just watching everyone else as they walked out of the gates and towards their homes. 'So... what do you wanna do?'  
'We could just walk around the school campus, if you'd like. It's still open because of all the after school clubs, like netball and football...'  
'Oh yeah! That sounds fine to me,' agreed Kentaro with a smile, even though he was sort of disappointed at not being able to go into town with her or something like that.  
They began wandering in no particular direction. For a few minutes, Ushio just enjoyed being in the company of a friend in silence, listening to the sounds around them. It seemed like it had been ages since she had been with any other friends like she was now, and she decided to savour the moment. Eventually, though, Kentaro felt that he just had to say something; he was becoming slightly uncomfortable.  
'So, Okazaki, who's this best friend of yours who's ignoring you at the moment?' he asked.  
'Oh, you mean Chieko? It's okay now, we've sorted it out.' replied Ushio, staring at the route ahead.  
'Chieko?' Kentaro couldn't help but laugh a little. 'But that's a boys' name!'  
Ushio glanced up at him confusedly. 'Yeah, what's so funny about that? What, you thought girls could only be best friends with girls?'  
Kentaro suddenly stopped walking and looked down at Ushio embarrassedly. 'Oh, er, I'm sorry- wait. Your best friend's a _boy?!'_ _What if he likes her too?! _He thought. He suddenly felt panicked.  
'Yes, Chieko Mitsuharu, but hey, so what if he's a boy?! Stop being like this, Ijiri, I don't like it much.' said Ushio angrily. She didn't understand what his problem was, and she couldn't see his feelings for her yet.  
'No, no, I don't mean it like that, it's just...'  
'It's just _what?'_  
'Nothing. I'm sorry, Okazaki, I really didn't mean to upset you.'  
'I'm not upset,' muttered Ushio. She may not have been upset, but she was annoyed. 'Anyway, yeah, we sorted it out. I understand why he's been spending so much time working and studying now. And guess what? He promised to join the Drama club next semester!'  
'What?!' Cried Kentaro. He really was panicking in his mind now. _He might like her... but... it seems like she likes him too! _He thought. In fact, it didn't, but that was the way Kentaro's mind was working, turning like cogs in his head.  
'Yeah, I know, it's awesome right?' smiled Ushio, misinterpreting his response. They were walking again, and she couldn't see his face, so she thought that his reply was out of excitement. 'It was part of him making up to me for being such a jerk and not telling me why he had to study so much, and ignoring me, and you know, all that. I was also gonna get him to come to town this weekend with me, but since exams are next week I thought it would be too much of a weight for him to carry.'  
'Oh... er... I could come with you to town this weekend, if you want.' said Kentaro, seeing an opportunity. Ushio looked at him as though evaluating him - she was still slightly annoyed and confused at his reaction to Chieko.  
'Well...' said Ushio, trying to make a final decision, '...okay. That would be nice. I haven't been to town with anyone in a while I guess. Thanks, Ijiri.'  
'No, thank _you_ for accepting me!' Replied Kentaro happily. At least Ushio didn't seem angry at him any longer.  
They continued walking in silence until they eventually came to the gates.  
'Well, I gotta get home.' said Ushio, hesitating just outside the school.  
'Okay Okazaki. See you tomorrow. And then, Saturday, right? So the day after too.'  
'Yup. See you, Ijiri.'  
'Bye, Okazaki,' said Kentaro, as Ushio began speed-walking down the sandy road. She looked over her shoulder just to see him standing there with a strange smile on his face.  
To Ushio, his goodbye somehow didn't seem as special as Chieko's.

* * *

**Ooooh what's goin' oooon who knoooows only meeee hehe XD  
Thanks for reading again! To be continued soon!  
~LilsNightlock**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hellooooo! This chapter doesn't contain much, but it ****_does _****contain a meeting with some old friends... anyway still, enjoy!**

* * *

The final day of the week and the weekend passed quickly. Ushio went into town with Kentaro on the Sunday, as they had arranged, and they wandered around the shops for a while before buying ice-cream, even though it was nearly winter.  
'I love ice-cream so much,' mumbled Ushio as she attempted to get over her ice-cream headache. 'Even if it is really, _really _cold...'  
Kentaro laughed. 'So do I! Especially toffee, like I have now. It's not even that cold at the minute, so it's not too bad eating it. I can't believe the end of first semester is only a week away!'  
'Urgh. We have to get through exams before that, though. Have you studied at all?'  
'Yeah, I have, a little.' Kentaro watched as a lady walked past pushing a toddler in a pram. 'Already half-way through our first year a Hikarizaka. It seems like we're growing up way too fast, doesn't it?'  
'It does a little. But, think about it. After High School we'll be able to live on our own, and do what we want! There'll be so much change. My parents don't like change much, for some reason, but I do. It's just so exciting!'  
Kentaro was silent for a minute.  
'Your parents were on that tape we watched last week, weren't they?' he asked.  
'Yeah, they were. My Mom and Dad also started the Drama club up again together after it had been put on hiatus when nobody wanted to join it. They and their friends re-formed it that year. But then...'  
'Then what?' asked Kentaro.  
'My Mom got ill and missed almost a whole semester of her last year. _Again. _She was already a repeater, and when she had to repeat a second time, nobody else wanted to join the Drama club, because Dad had left and so had all her other friends.'  
'So they were all Seniors? I can't imagine that!'  
'Well, they were. Weird, right, thinking that we're Freshmen and yet we joined the Drama club? I guess my Mom and Dad's generation had no interest in acting. My grandad Akio was also an actor in High School, and a little while afterwards too, but he had to give it up to look after my Mom. She doesn't like to talk about it much.'  
'I see. Your parents sound pretty awesome.'  
Kentaro had finished eating his ice-cream, and couldn't help but stare at Ushio as she sat, lost in thought, holding hers. 'You gonna eat that?' he said gently. 'I think it's going to melt soon.'  
'Oh, oh yeah.' replied Ushio, snapping back into reality. 'Say, Ijiri, do you want to come over to mine for dinner and meet my parents? They get really excited when I have a friend at this High School. You should have seen them when I told them I'd joined the Drama club!'  
Kentaro was surprised that Ushio had made the offer this time, but of course he couldn't disagree. 'I... I'd love to! It would be awesome to meet them, especially your Mom since she's the actress. Thanks for the offer!'  
'No problem,' laughed Ushio, standing from the bench and finishing off her ice-cream. 'Come on, let's go to a few more shops, and then we can head over to my home.'

* * *

'Hey, I'm home!' Ushio called, as she closed the front door and slipped off her shoes. 'And my friend's here with me. He's come for tea!'  
Nagisa stepped out of the kitchen to welcome her daughter home. 'Hi, Ushio!' She smiled, clasping her hands together. 'And you must be Kentaro Ijiri. It's wonderful to meet you! I'm sure my husband Tomoya would love to meet you too.'  
'It's... a pleasure to meet you as well!' Replied Kentaro gratefully. Ushio's mother seemed really kind.  
Nagisa turned to Ushio. 'Dinner's cooking, honey. I made some extra, luckily, as Sunohara and Tomoyo called whilst you were out and your father invited them to tea! Why don't you go and say hello to your Dad, by the way? He's missed you today.'  
Ushio laughed. 'Sunohara and Tomoyo are coming? Awesome! Come on, Ijiri, let's go see my Dad.'  
They found him in the living room, watching the news on TV. The Okazakis had moved house since Ushio was born, into a bigger one. Tomoya looked around just as the door opened.  
'Ushio! Welcome home! And you must be Ijiri, right?' He jumped up from his seat, switching the TV off - 'I never really liked the news anyway' - and hugged his daughter, then shook Kentaro's hand.  
Tomoya stepped back and looked at them for a few seconds before saying, 'Sunohara and Tomoyo are coming round soon, so be prepared. You know how they're always arguing, yet they're the greatest couple! In fact, they should be here any minute.'  
Ushio laughed, and right as she did so, the doorbell rang through the house.  
'Coming!' They heard Nagisa's sweet little voice shout. They heard the door swing open, and Ushio went out of the living room and out into the corridor. Just as Nagisa pulled open the door, Tomoyo and Sunohara were arguing about something, and Ushio could hear them quietly snapping to each other.  
'Don't ring again. And just let me do the talking.' hissed Tomoyo.  
'They're my friends too!' Sunohara whispered loudly back. Nagisa just stood at the doorway, her hands clasped again, smiling at the husband and wife.  
'Oh! Nagisa!' Tomoyo said a little too enthusiastically, elbowing Sunohara to get him to shut up. They had gotten married when Ushio was nine, six years ago, and they were happy together even though they often argued. That was just part of the routine that kept them so close. At their wedding, Tomoya had been the best man, and Nagisa and Ushio had both been bridesmaids. Sunohara and Tomoyo were two of the only friends Nagisa and Tomoya had managed to keep since High School - they saw Kyou a lot as she had been Ushio's kindergarten teacher, but the family only saw Ryou if she happened to be with Kyou. Seeing Kotomi was almost out of the question, much to their dismay; she was still in America, and she really was thriving there, making lots of money from her research and experiments. They didn't really see anyone else anymore.  
'Welcome to the Okazaki household!' Smiled Nagisa. 'It's great to see you, as we haven't in ages.'  
'Yes, it's lovely to see you too, Nagisa, and Tomoya, and Ushio- oh, Ushio, who's your friend?' replied Tomoyo, her bright blue eyes sparkling.  
Sunohara looked around Nagisa to see Ushio, Tomoya and Kentaro. A strange little smile formed on his face as he spotted them. He blew some of his jet-black hair out of his eyes (the jet-black hair which Nagisa and Tomoya still weren't quite used to!). 'Hey, Okazaki,' even after all the time that had passed, it just seemed natural for Tomoya and Youhei to call each other by their last names. He strolled up to them with his hands in his pockets. 'And Ushio... who's this? Is he your booooyfriend?'  
Kentaro's face flooded a bright red, and he began to protest, but Ushio just laughed and he fell silent. Ushio knew how much Sunohara liked to tease, and she gave him a playful push. 'Don't be silly,' she said, 'of course he isn't. Ijiri - Kentaro Ijiri - is just my friend from school, and the Drama club.'  
'H-hi,' stuttered Kentaro, who was slightly shell-shocked. 'It's great to meet you...'  
'Hey, don't get so embarrassed, big-shot,' teased Sunohara, 'like Ushio said, I was only kidding. And anyway, she's not _that _bad.'  
'Oh... oh no, I didn't mean-'  
'Hey, what do you mean by that?! "Not _that_ bad"? You saying I'm bad?' interrupted Ushio.  
'Calm it, Ushio, calm it!' Replied Sunohara. He decided to stop teasing them.  
Tomoyo and Nagisa stepped forward. 'Dinner's almost ready. How about you guys head into the living room and get sat down by the table? Have a talk, catch up a bit... I'll be through soon.' said Nagisa with a smile, seeing that it was time to break it up.  
'That sounds great, Nagisa!' Replied Tomoyo happily. They all followed as Tomoya led the way into the living room.  
Dinner was wonderful; Nagisa had cooked a lot and the evening flew by. Eventually, of course, Kentaro had to leave, but Tomoyo and Sunohara stayed the night so Nagisa and Tomoya slept in the living room instead of in their usual room, which they gave up. It was as Ushio was about to fall asleep that she remembered about the exams the next day, and the results by the end of the week. In her mind she began to panic slightly, but soon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Oh no! Exams! :O  
Thanks for reading!  
~LilsNightlock**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again! This chapter's quite long, as it's in two parts. Sooo... yeah! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chieko Mitsuharu woke up early the morning of the exams. His head was pounding and he felt horribly ill, but he knew he just had to go in. After all his efforts, he couldn't give up now.  
His mind swirled with thoughts of Ushio as he shrugged on his bag and departed from his house. He had to go to these exams, into school, and pass them for _her_. She was his only friend. There was no way he could stand not being in the same class as her.  
He knew he must look in a bad way as soon as he saw Ushio and she saw him. 'Chieko...' she said, her eyebrows creasing, 'You... are you okay?'  
'I just feel slightly ill, that's all.' Chieko said, waving it off with a weak grin. Ushio seemed to relax for a minute before her chestnut-hazel eyes looked straight up into his.  
'Chieko, are you sure? You look terrible. You know you can go home, and retake the exams after vacation, right? If you're that ill.'  
'Honestly, Ush, I'm fine,' Chieko replied tiredly. 'I can't wait until after vacation, now. The tension's unbearable already, taking the exams after it would kill me.'  
Ushio tilted her head, watching him as he unpacked his things ready for the lesson. 'Don't worry, Chieko.' she said quietly. 'You'll pass the exams. I know you will. What if I fail them, and I get moved down? Imagine if we both failed. That would be okay, right? But that's not gonna happen to either of us, so don't worry so much about it.'  
'I'll try not to, I'll really try. I try already. But somehow it doesn't work.'  
'Then... just go through the exams like it's a normal lesson with question sheets. Just try to imagine that, okay? They only take up one day, and I won't go to Drama at lunch today, so I can stay with you. Right?'  
Chieko grinned weakly at Ushio again and she smiled back. 'Thanks, Ushio.' said Chieko. 'I'll try to imagine that. It might make things a little better.'  
'That's good. I-'  
The class fell silent as their teacher entered the room, Ushio included. And so the exams had begun.  
Much as he wanted to, Chieko couldn't imagine what Ushio had told him to. The exams just seemed much too important for that. Why was one best friend so important? Couldn't he make a new one if he did get moved down? Questions rattled through his mind as he slowly crawled through the exams. He couldn't think straight, but he thought he did alright.  
True to her word, Ushio stayed with Chieko at lunch, but he didn't say much; he just ate his food and stared off into space. He wasn't being like his usual chatty self, but Ushio didn't mind. For her it was wonderful just being with him again.  
Finally, the day ended, and Chieko looked no better than before; in fact, Ushio thought, he looked even worse. His face was unnaturally pale as he said goodbye to Ushio at the gates and began walking home, his bag over one shoulder. Ushio just stood by the gates, watching him go worriedly, watching even after he had disappeared from view, until Kentaro appeared beside her and asked how she was doing and if she wanted to go for a walk.  
Ushio just shook her head sadly, without a word, and turned away gloomily down the road, leaving Kentaro standing by the gates wondering what on earth was wrong.

* * *

Chieko didn't come back to school until the day of the results that week, and Ushio was extremely worried about him. They spoke multiple times on the phone about what was happening in school, but Ushio found it better not to talk about the exams. She missed his grin and his unique, deep red hair all the time that he was away, and began to wonder why he was on her mind so much. In the end she just concluded that he must be the most amazing best friend that she could possibly wish for, but she wasn't convinced with even herself.  
At Drama club, she tried to act as normal as possible, but Kentaro kept asking her what was wrong. Ushio just shook her head and told him that everything was fine. Even so, she knew that he could tell she was lying.  
So when Chieko was there, sitting at his usual seat on the Friday, Ushio felt a warm smile spread across her whole face.  
'Chieko!' She cried, unable to stop herself from running up to him. 'Oh, Chieko, I'm so glad to see you... you... you don't even know...'  
'Yeah, I do,' he replied, grinning up at her, 'I'm really, really glad to see you too. I missed you these past few days, but up until yesterday I was too ill to go out, and yesterday Mom wouldn't let me leave the house until she was absolutely positive I was okay.'  
'Oh my goodness, I was so worried about you...' Ushio told him, flopping down into her chair. 'It's not just that I missed you, Chie, I'm really relieved as well.'  
'Glad to know you care so much.' grinned Chieko. Ushio's cheeks took on a slight tinge of red, and they both looked away from each other in embarrassment.  
Suddenly, the teacher walked in.  
'I'm about to give out the results to your exams.'  
_Shoot, _thought Ushio, _I forgot about all that in the excitement of Chieko being back in school...  
_'Please don't try to look at other peoples' results if they don't want you to, and please stay silent as I hand them out.'  
The teacher handed them out using the students' last names, but from the end of the alphabet, so Ushio's results came first. She had managed to pass them all, mostly with flying colours. 'Yes,' she whispered under her breath. Only Chieko heard, smiling to himself at her reaction.  
Then, the teacher gave Chieko his results.  
He stared at them for a few seconds, his hazel eyes swiping down the list, his face blank. Once he'd finished reading, he looked up to see Ushio watching him concernedly, waiting to see if he had passed or not.  
Suddenly, at the sight of her face, what had happened suddenly kicked in. He abruptly stood from his seat and, much to the teacher's protests, flew out of the room.  
Ushio suddenly stood up too.  
'Sorry, Sir, but I have to follow him!' She called as she rushed out of the room. She got out just in time to see Chieko disappear around a corner. What on earth had happened?  
Ushio followed him for a while, all the way outside, as she wasn't fast enough to catch up with him, until he eventually stopped underneath a tree and sat with his head in his hands, still holding the paper. Ushio caught up with him and quietly sat in front of him, facing him.  
'Chieko, what's-'  
Chieko suddenly stood up, his head hanging, and Ushio leapt up with him. Then, much to her surprise, he pulled her into a warm hug.  
'Oh, Ushio, what have I done?'  
Ushio could now tell that he was sobbing, and she got over her surprise and hugged him back. 'It's okay,' she said, her voice slightly muffled, 'It's okay...'  
'But it's not, Ushio!' Said Chieko desperately, resting his cheek on the top of her head and her soft, chestnut hair. 'I failed them all, all except one. You were right. I should have waited until after vacation.'  
'But... you were ill.' replied Ushio. 'It's something you couldn't help. Everyone has their bad days. I know you're smart enough to pass every single one of those exams, so they can't exactly blame you, and you worked so hard...'  
Ushio fell silent for a minute, and Chieko held her, managing to stop the tears. He didn't want to cry, but somehow he couldn't help it. Ushio was important to him, and, hugging her like that, he realised it was in more ways than one.  
They stayed like that for a while, and Ushio leaned with her arms around Chieko, thinking of something they could do. It was strange; she somehow didn't want to move.  
'That's it!' Ushio exclaimed suddenly, gently and slightly reluctantly letting go of Chieko and stepping back. 'You were ill... they can't blame you... so, we just have to go and tell them that! Come on!' She grabbed his hand and Chieko couldn't help but grin, and began running. They eventually arrived outside the head of years' office, and Ushio let go of Chieko's hand, her face turning slightly red. 'Sorry about that,' she mumbled as she knocked on the door.  
'It's okay... I didn't mind. Um... are you sure about this?' Chieko whispered, but before Ushio could answer the door swung open.  
'Oh, hello,' said the Head of Year, 'Can I help you?'  
'Yes,' replied Ushio firmly, even though she felt a little frightened, 'We're here about the exams. We want to talk to you about something.'  
'Oh, certainly,' replied the head, stepping aside, 'Come in and we'll talk.'  
Ushio and Chieko shuffled in to the head of year's office. It looked basically like most school offices, neat and organised with a desk placed slap-bang in the middle. The head sat behind this as she examined the two students, and they sat down at the chairs on the other side.  
'Miss...' began Ushio, unable to stop herself, 'My friend, Chieko Mitsuharu here, just got his exam results back. And he failed almost all of them. And... and, I'm begging you, Miss, please don't send him down a set! He was ill on the day of the exams, and he's been studying so hard, and please-'  
The head interrupted her. 'Oh, yes. Mitsuharu. I was told about your results, Mitsuharu, about how they were so strange and unnatural, and how all your teacher has seen you do these past few weeks is study. Don't worry. We've taken your classwork into account too, you know. We know you're fit to be in the class you're in. Exams are really a test of what you've been taught and if you're learning, not of your mental ability, but yes, in some situations it's true that you could get moved down a set. Don't worry, though - that won't happen to you.'  
Ushio and Chieko looked at each other in glee. 'S... so I'm not getting moved down?' checked Chieko, turning to the head.  
'You're not.' she confirmed. 'And I've been informed of how much you've studied. We won't put you through the stress of going through all the exams again.'  
'Thank you!' Exclaimed Chieko joyfully. 'Thank you so much. You wouldn't believe how glad I am. Thank you.'  
'No problem,' smiled the head, 'I see you were very worried about this. If you get too worried in the future, you could always go to the guidance councillor. Anyway, you two, you should get back to your lesson. I'm sure it's in your teacher's best interests to have you back.'  
'You're right,' agreed Ushio, 'we should get back to class. Thank you again!' She said just before they left. They both stood, smiled at the head, and left the room.  
'Thanks so much, Ush,' grinned Chieko as they headed back towards their classroom. 'You really helped take a lot of weight off my shoulders there. You're a genius.'  
'Not a genius,' Ushio smiled back, 'but pretty darn close.'  
Chieko laughed, and Ushio was glad to hear it again. 'Okay then,' he agreed, 'pretty darn close.'

* * *

**Yaaaaay! So, now it's vacation, and Nagisa's birthday, then Christmas and New Year, and THEN Ushio's birthday... wow, a lot's happening soon in the world of Teenage Ushio. (Note: I have no idea when the actual vacations would be in Japan so let's just stick with this okay?) Anyway, thanks for carrying on reading again! :D  
~LilsNightlock**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! I'm sorry it's been a while since I uploaded a chapter, but the Christmas holidays are over and now that I'm back at school with homework I'm finding myself with very little time... DX  
So anyway, I'll be trying to upload 2 chapters a weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday if I can, from now on. This chapter's not got too much in it, but it took me most of my free time this week to write (not a lot lol) and part of today, sorry x(  
Still, enjoy!**

* * *

The start of vacation passed in a whirl along with Nagisa's birthday. The turnout for the special occasion was little, but warmly welcomed. Tomoyo and Sunohara came over again, and Kyou also came with Ryou. Kyou was married with a toddler and Ryou was also married, but with no children. They didn't bring their other halves and neither did Kyou bring her son, so it was just all of them together again, with the addition of Tomoyo but the subtraction of Kotomi. Nagisa was very upset that Kotomi couldn't make it, but she had two years before, and really that was as often as she could come down from America, so Nagisa was happy.  
Nagisa and Tomoya let Ushio invite someone round for Nagisa's birthday too, so that she didn't feel too alone, as the adults would be talking together just like the old days in the living room or the kitchen. Ushio decided to invite Cho as they had become quite good friends over the course of almost two weeks, even if she was a year older than her. Neither of them minded the age difference, and anyway it was really very slim. They just enjoyed having a good friend.  
That was how they came to be sitting in Ushio's room, with Cho at Ushio's desk and Ushio perched on the edge of her own bed. Ushio's room was very neutral, painted colours of nature, with a myriad of greens, blues and purples. 'Christmas Eve, huh?' sighed Ushio. 'What a great time of year. I'm surprised you agreed to come!'  
Cho shook her silvery hair from her eyes. 'We don't celebrate Christmas at home.'  
'Oh... I'm sorry... but, why?'  
'We just don't. It's just not something our family does.'  
'Oh right. Okay.'  
There was silence for a few minutes, and Cho twirled around on Ushio's chair. Ushio just looked at the floor blankly, but in her mind she was panicking. _There must be something to do!_ She thought. _I have to think of something otherwise Cho will get bored and not want to be my friend just like everybody else... Except Ijiri and Chieko... _Ushio's face assumed a dusting of red. _And... Chieko..._  
She still couldn't quite believe what had happened on the last day of school before the holidays, and she couldn't stop hoping that Chieko was okay. She had called him once or twice over the days that had passed so far, and he had called her on multiple occasions too, which made her happy.  
Ushio's birthday was also coming up and she had invited just a few friends to that; Chieko, Kentaro and Cho. In the Drama club Kazuo Aihara was also becoming her friend, the bleached-blonde haired guy who was playing the villain in their play, and so was Shinzo Ishida as Ushio had found that he was a very friendly person after having to work with him in most of her scenes. Kentaro seemed to have settled in more to his role, but still stole glances at Ushio every now and then. If she was looking at him when he did he always began to blush, for which the director, Takuro, congratulated him on, thinking that it was just his acting making him do it.  
As Cho and Ushio sat silently in her room, Ushio realised two things. Firstly: She liked Chieko. A lot. And it wasn't just 'like' as in the friendship kind. Secondly: She had to think of something to do right that minute or Cho would probably just get up and leave.  
'Hey, Cho,' she said. 'Since my parents are busy with their old friends, what do you wanna do?'  
Cho looked up to Ushio with her bright amber eyes. 'We could go to mine, if you want. I've met your parents but you haven't met mine. Think you'd like to do that?'  
'Sure!' Smiled Ushio gratefully. There wasn't much to do at her house, anyway. 'I just need to tell my Mom and Dad.'  
'Alright. I'll come with you. When we're at mine, we can watch some plays or something. Or I could help you practise your lines in the script! Bring it with you, just in case.'  
'Right! I will!' Replied Ushio, swooping up her script and leading the way out of the room. Ushio popped her head into the living room, and everyone looked up at her and smiled.  
'Ushio! It's great to see you again,' laughed Kyou, smiling at her long-ago student.  
'You too, Miss Fujibayashi,' she couldn't help it - she always called Kyou that, no matter how many times Kyou told her she didn't have to. 'Mom, Dad, is it okay if I go over to Cho's? I know it's your birthday and all, but... just so we don't get in the way. I'll be back as soon as everyone's gone.'  
'Sure, honey!' Smiled Nagisa, looking up at her daughter. 'We'll see you later. Okay?'  
'Yep!' Replied Ushio gratefully. 'Thank you, see you later!'  
Outside, the air was chilled, and Ushio shivered in the cold. Cho's hair shone silver in the early winter moonlight. As they hurried along the streets, Cho looked up at the stars and sighed. 'You know when I snapped at you a while back in Drama club?' she asked hesitantly.  
'Oh. Yeah, I remember. Don't worry about it! You explained, after all.'  
Cho paused on the pavement, biting her bottom lip, and Ushio stopped to look back at her curiously. 'Well, no, I didn't. Not really.' she replied.  
'You... didn't?'  
'No. The real reason was that... well, I like Kentaro, okay? I hated seeing him pretend to be Kimiko's boyfriend, even if the performance he put on wasn't too great.'  
Ushio smiled at her. 'Really? I thought you might like him. Nothing like that's never happened to me before so I can't say I understand, but just try to remember it's only acting. I know it'll be hard to do that though.'  
Cho began walking again, hugging herself to try to keep warm, and Ushio fell into step beside her. 'But what makes it worse is... well, it seems like he _actually _likes you.'  
Ushio stared at her in surprise. 'It does?'  
'Yeah. I mean, sitting doing the music, you don't have to do much. I notice the little things. I might even be a better director than Kumagai! But he's always glancing at you and blushing.'  
'Oh. I'm really glad you don't hold that against me, Cho. You're one of the only friends I have.'  
'You... you don't like him back, do you, Ushio?'  
'Oh, no, don't worry! There's someone else... well, anyway, no.'  
Cho smiled thankfully, looking as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They walked a short way in silence, with only the occasional car or scuffle of dead leaves breaking it. Eventually, Ushio looked up as if she'd just remembered something.  
'Oh, oh yeah!' She exclaimed. 'Cho, my birthday's near the end of vacation. I'm having a little party at my house, and my friend Chieko as well as Ijiri are the only ones coming so far. Would you come too? If you can, of course.'  
'Sure!' Cho smiled at Ushio. 'We can ask my parents if I'm free when we get to mine. We're not far away now. I'd love to come! Thanks for inviting me.'  
'No problem,' laughed Ushio.  
Later, when she was back at home in bed after meeting Cho's lovely parents and watching a few plays, Ushio couldn't help getting excited about her birthday. She was even more excited about that than she was about Christmas the next day.

* * *

**Next chapter is gonna be Ushio's birthday with Chieko, Kentaro and Cho! Ooooh exciting XD  
Thanks for reading!  
~LilsNightlock**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hellooooo! So as I said, there's another chapter today, and a lot more happens in this one than in the last one I ****_promise..._**** Anyways then, I won't delay it even further, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Ushio's birthday came very slowly due to the fact that she kept thinking about it. In the meantime, she met up with Kentaro once in town, and Chieko twice. The fact that they liked each other didn't make their meetings awkward in the least; they were the same best friends they always had been, and nothing could change that; even if they got together, there would only be a few minor changes.  
The day of the party finally came, and Ushio was extremely excited. She wasn't big on fashion and clothes but she had been given a deep purple dress by Sanae, Nagisa's mother who was also over to help along with Nagisa's Dad Akio, and had put it on, along with just a little dusting of make-up (which was barely noticeable) and some black slipper-shoes. Her long chestnut hair was brushed all the way through, and her dress reached all the way to her feet, just showing the tips of her shoes. It's fair to say that Ushio felt very special on her sixteenth birthday.  
After getting dressed, Ushio was drawn to the kitchen where the warm, heavenly scent of all sorts of foods were coming from. Ushio didn't particularly like many foods, so most of the dishes were quite plain, but there was a fair amount of variety.  
'Ushio!' Gasped Nagisa the minute she saw her daughter. 'You look absolutely _wonderful, _honey!'  
Sanae turned and smiled at her granddaughter. 'She's right, Ushio! Do you like the dress?'  
'Yes thank you, I love it. Oh, I'm so excited!' Replied Ushio, skipping over to them and glancing at the clock. 'It's not long until everyone's here now...'  
'You're right, and we still need to finish cooking this food,' said Nagisa. 'How about you go and find your Dad and Akki in the living room? They're setting up the table for you.'  
'Oh, okay,' smiled Ushio, seeing that they needed her to leave if they were to be ready in time. She turned and skipped happily out of the room, pausing by the door to inhale the scent of cooking food one last time before she gently closed the door and made her way to the living room.  
Inside, the living room wasn't too fancy, but it was enough for Ushio. There were a few balloons spread about and the table was laid out with food that had already been finished and jugs of drinks and glasses. Tomoya and Akio were standing together with glasses, talking. Ushio assumed that they must have already finished setting everything up. Quiet music was playing in the background, but Ushio could still hear what they were saying.  
'So, Ushio's doing okay at school?' asked Akio.  
'Yeah, she's joined the Drama club and a few of her friends often come round.' replied Tomoya with a smile.  
'I wonder if one of her friends is the sort of person you were for Nagisa... oh, hi Ushio!' Said Akio, looking around at her. 'Happy Birthday!'  
'Hi Dad. Hi Akki,' she replied, laughing. It didn't matter how old she was, she still called him that.  
'Lovely new dress, Ushio,' commented Tomoya, walking over to hug his daughter.  
'Thanks Dad.'  
Suddenly, the doorbell trilled through the house. Ushio gasped and made for the door. 'The first person's here!' She cried excitedly. She wondered who it was. Cho lived close, it could be her, or Chieko, but she had no idea where Kentaro lived, so he could arrive at any time...  
She flung the door open, smiling. 'Welcome!'  
The face that grinned down at her was lightly tanned, even in winter, and framed by locks of messy, dark-red hair. 'Hey, Ush.' said Chieko. 'Happy Birthday.' He looked at her lit-up, smiling face and her shining eyes, and he couldn't help but pull her into a hug.  
'Thanks, Chieko,' laughed Ushio in between their brief embrace. He let go again, and Ushio blushed slightly. Then she stood aside to let him go in, closing the door, and was about to lead him into the living room when the doorbell trilled again. 'You can go in,' smiled Ushio to Chieko, motioning towards the living room, as she opened the door again.  
Standing on the other side were her other two guests, Kentaro and Cho. 'Oh! Both of you at the same time!' She laughed, beckoning them in. 'Lunch is almost ready, it'll be in the living room, and my friend Chieko's already here. I guess I should introduce you guys since you've never met each other before.'  
It seemed that Tomoya had whisked Chieko into a conversation with him and Akio, but he politely excused himself as soon as Ushio and the others entered the room and Tomoya understandingly let him go. Tomoya liked Chieko and his sense of humour. 'Happy Birthday, Ushio,' Cho and Kentaro were saying as he approached.  
'Thanks guys,' smiled Ushio, 'this is my friend Chieko Mitsuharu. Chieko, this is Cho Matsukata and Kentaro Ijiri. I gotta say, it's nice for _me _to finally see you all meet!'  
Chieko grinned. 'Hi, Matsukata and Ijiri. It's great to meet you.'  
'Hi to you too, Mitsuharu, it's great to meet you as well!' Said Cho happily.  
Kentaro greeted him as well, trying to sound as cheerful as possible but silently envying Chieko. He was so good-looking, Kentaro thought, and so lucky to be Ushio's best friend. Or were they maybe more by now? He asked himself. Kentaro decided to keep a watchful eye on them to see if anything unusual happened.  
They sat down at the dining table, with half of the table to themselves so that they could sit opposite each other and talk with more ease. Cho and Kentaro sat on one side as Ushio and Chieko sat on the other, and when they arrived with the food Nagisa was to sit next to Ushio with Tomoya, and Sanae and Akio were to sit on the opposite side.  
'So, Mitsuharu,' said Kentaro casually, looking across at Chieko, 'I heard you're joining the Drama club after vacation.'  
'Oh, I guess Ush told you that,' said Chieko with a grin, glancing at Ushio. 'Yeah, I'm joining the Drama club, since I was forced into promising Ushio that I would.'  
'Hey!' Laughed Ushio, lightly elbowing him, 'I didn't _force _you into it! Well actually I guess I kind of did. But still, you said you might have joined anyway!'  
'Okay, okay, Ush, it was a joke! And you're right, I did say I might join, you're right.'  
The two smiled at each other for a few seconds before Cho tilted her head and said, 'Say, are you two-'  
'No, no, we're not,' replied Ushio quickly, looking over at her anxiously - she knew what Cho was going to say.  
'Oh. Okay.'  
There was silence for a minute, and Kentaro silently rejoiced that Ushio had said no. Still, she had seemed a little suspicious. Suddenly the adults appeared in the room, talking and laughing, carrying plates of food and setting them down on the table. The smell was mouth-wateringly delicious, but before they started eating the family put their hands together and said 'Thank you for the food!' In unison. Only Cho didn't do this, as both Chieko and Kentaro had been over for a meal before and knew that it was the drill. Cho just watched them with surprised amber eyes and put her hands together at the last possible millisecond before they finished.  
As they lowered their arms back down, Chieko's hand briefly touched Ushio's and she felt a burst of static between them, hastily pulling hers away. She looked down at her food, feeling her face flood a warm red, and began to eat. Chieko looked at her thoughtfully for a second and then he, too, began to eat.  
'That was wonderful!' Exclaimed Ushio once the food had been finished, looking over at Nagisa and Sanae. 'Thank you so much, everyone.'  
'Honey, it's the least we can do for you just once a year,' smiled Nagisa. 'Now, we'll go and clean all this up.'  
The adults got up and collected the plates, leaving a few leftovers just in case, and disappeared into the kitchen. 'Let's go to the sofas,' suggested Ushio once they were gone. It's much more comfortable there.'  
'Sounds great!' Grinned Chieko, and he and Ushio went to sit down. Kentaro tried to follow, but Cho held him back.  
'Hey, Kentaro, so... how are you today?'  
Kentaro fidgeted in his seat. He didn't want Ushio and Chieko to be alone; he was afraid of what might happen, but he didn't want to be rude to Cho either. 'I'm great thanks...'

Chieko looked over at Cho and Kentaro, seeing that they weren't immediately following. 'Hey, Ushio, can I ask you something...?' he said, turning and looking solemnly at his friend next to him.  
'Sure you can,' she smiled, but she was slightly mystified by how earnest he seemed.

Kentaro looked anxiously over at Chieko and Ushio.  
'Are you okay?' asked Cho with a frown. Kentaro put on his brightest smile.  
'I'm fine!' He replied, almost too enthusiastically. 'But, shouldn't we be with Okazaki...? It's her birthday.'

'Well, I was just wondering...' said Chieko hesitantly. He scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to ask the next question.  
'Yes?' urged Ushio gently. She seemed clueless on the outside, but on the inside she thought she might have an idea of what the question would be.

'So you're going to leave me?' asked Cho disappointedly.  
'No!' Cried Kentaro quickly. 'I mean, how about we _both _go over there? Come on,' he explained, standing up and motioning for her to follow. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he wanted to be a part of it anyway.

Chieko took a deep breath. 'Will you go-'  
'Hi!' Interrupted Kentaro, coming up behind the sofa. 'Sorry about that. We should have come over here right away.'  
Chieko looked away from Ushio embarrassedly and Ushio tried to hide her irritation at him interfering. _He ruined the moment! _Thought Chieko, staring at the floor.  
'Oh, it's fine...' mumbled Ushio, making her best attempt at a smile. Then, she remembered that it was her birthday, and everyone was there for her, and she properly smiled. 'It's okay, Ijiri. It's okay. Come on and sit down, both of you!'  
They spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and talking together in Ushio's living room, as it was too cold to go anywhere that was outside. The leftovers gradually disappeared from the table as the adults came in from the kitchen, pinched a few, and went back. They talked there, and Ushio, Chieko, Kentaro and Cho stayed on the sofas. When the leftovers were all gone and it was the inevitable time for everyone to leave, Ushio couldn't help but feel sorry that it was all over. Chieko was the last to leave, and just before he did Ushio looked up at him.  
'What were you going to ask me earlier?'  
Chieko hesitated as though he was about to tell her, but suddenly decided not to. 'It was nothing. Don't worry about it, okay?'  
'Oh,' Ushio replied, her face falling. 'Well, thanks so much for coming, Chie! This afternoon was wonderful with all of you guys here with me.'  
'No, thank _you _for inviting me! See you back at school, Ush.'  
'Yeah. See you at school.'  
Ushio watched as the door closed behind him with a quiet 'click'. Then, she traipsed down the corridor to her bedroom and lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling, wondering what on earth would happen next.

* * *

**...  
Hope you liked that chapter! The next one's going to be back at school. So yeah.  
Thanks for reading again!  
~LilsNightlock**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well I said I'd release a chapter every Saturday and Sunday, but I finished this one early so I thought I'd just put it up now.** **Hope you like it!**

* * *

Chieko walked through the school gates, his school bag slung over his shoulder. He was wondering what he should say to Ushio when he she got to school; whether he should just try to carry on as normal or ask her to be his girlfriend again without interruption. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice a purple-haired girl fall into step beside him, looking up at him with slightly narrowed deep-blue eyes. She brushed a little of her bobbed-hair from her face before smiling and exclaiming, 'Mitsuharu! School again, huh? It's great to see you back,'  
Chieko started slightly and looked down at her confusedly. 'You're Atsuko Sone, right? I don't recall you ever talking to me before.'  
She laughed and went to grab his arm. 'You're _funny,_ Mitsuharu!'  
Chieko shook her off, annoyed at her behaviour. He looked around anxiously to see if Ushio had been watching, and stepped back a bit. 'I don't understand how that's funny, because it's true, and you can't just go doing that to people. It's not right.'  
'Why can't I?' she asked, acting overly-upset to try and get Chieko to react. He rolled his eyes and began walking away.  
'Awww, come on, Mitsuharu, why not? It's not like you have a girlfriend.'  
'Oh yeah? Maybe I do. How would you know?' _Hopefully I will soon, _Chieko thought, _but it certainly isn't going to be Sone._  
'Oh? And who is she, then?'  
'Just go away. You've ignored me for a whole semester, I don't see why you're bothering me now,' he replied hastily, knowing he was caught out, and still hoping that Ushio wasn't anywhere near. He began walking slightly faster, but Atsuko caught up with him, flicking her hair.  
'Aha! So you don't have a girlfriend!' She grabbed his arm again. 'Come on, Mitsuharu, why not?' she repeated.  
'Because... I've only just met you!' He shook her off again. 'I'm going to find Ushio.'  
Without another word, he turned to head back to the school gates, but this time Atsuko didn't bother following him; she just stood where she was. 'Ushio, huh?' she mumbled, staring after him. 'I think he likes Okazaki. We'll just have to see what I can do about that.'  
Chieko made his way moodily towards the gates. He hated girls like Atsuko, trying to force themselves upon people who didn't want them to, and he'd encountered them in the past. _But my eyes only see Ushio, _he thought, as he reached the gates and leaned back against them. _Why is that Sone starting this now, when she's ignored me for half a year?_  
'Chieko!'  
Chieko whirled around at the sound of Ushio's voice. She stood just outside the gates, smiling at him. Chieko couldn't think for a second, but then he composed himself and replied with a simple, 'Hey, Ush.'  
They turned without another word and began walking together towards the school, in the direction that Chieko had been heading in before Atsuko had 'ambushed' him. He briefly contemplated telling Ushio what had happened, but quickly decided not to in case she got the wrong idea.  
'Drama club starts again today, Chie,' said Ushio, glancing up at him. Her face broke into a smile. 'You better keep your promise!'  
'Of course I will!' Grinned Chieko. 'But I have to tell you I'm not the best actor.'  
'Hmm...' murmured Ushio, wondering what they could do; she knew Kimiko would give Chieko her usual test, and if Chieko wasn't a good enough actor he wouldn't be allowed in. She hadn't thought about that before. 'I know! You can't participate as an actor, because you won't pass the entrance test. But you can say you want to control the stage lights. Nobody does that yet.'  
'The Drama club has an entrance test?' laughed Chieko. 'I wouldn't have thought it was that formal and strict. But oh well; what you suggested seems like a good idea.'  
'Will you be okay controlling the lights? I think they're quite heavy.'  
'Sure I will, you may not know it but I'm pretty strong.'  
'Really now?' teased Ushio.  
'If you wanted, I could show you. Bet you I could lift you up and carry you all the way to class. Want me to prove it?'  
'No, Chie, you can't do that!' Protested Ushio, getting all flustered and blushing furiously. 'Someone could see you!'  
Chieko grinned.  
'It's okay, I was only kidding, Ush, calm down.'  
'Oh, okay...'  
Atsuko watched them pass by from around a corner with piercing blue eyes. She had one of her friends on each side, and the one on the left spoke up nervously. 'A-Atsuko, they seem so happy together. You... you can't break them up for no reason.'  
Atsuko turned furiously on her friend, who leapt back in fear. 'There _is _a reason! Chieko's _mine. _Anyway, they're not even together. Mitsuharu proved that for me earlier.'  
'I-I was just saying...'  
'Well don't say, okay?' snapped Atsuko. Her friend sank back towards the shadows. 'I don't care if that Ushio likes him and he likes her back. I'll find a way to get to him somehow.'  
Her other friend, on the right, nodded solemnly. 'I'm sure you can, Atsuko. You're so pretty! You can do anything.'  
'Why thank you, Ayano!' Said Atsuko sweetly, smiling at her friend.  
Ayano turned towards the first of Atsuko's friends and grinned triumphantly as though it were a competition to be on Atsuko's good side. 'Hear that, Kanami?'  
'Y... yes...'  
Ayano smirked. 'Ignore her, Atsuko. She's useless.'  
'Sometimes when you say that, I think you might be right,' Atsuko said coldly. 'Come on, or we'll be late to class.' She twirled around and flounced off out from the corner.  
'Hmph,' Ayano said to Kanami, flicking her flowing blonde hair and obediently following.  
Kanami slowly crept out of the shadows, peering after them around the corner. 'This isn't right,' mumbled Kanami, stepping into the light. Her dark-greenish hair shone and her green eyes flashed in rebellion. 'I'm sick of abiding to all of their orders. I need to warn Mitsuharu and Okazaki!'

* * *

**Hehehe I thought it needed some more characters...  
Arigato for reading!  
Thanks to everyone following and reviewing my story! I can't remember if I mentioned before, but it's great to know that people enjoy reading my writing XD**

~LilsNightlock


	12. Chapter 12

**Soooo this is Monday where I am so I didn't exactly stick to what I'd said but it's close enough XD  
I did finish this yesterday, but I didn't get the chance to upload it...  
Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Atsuko peered around the corner to the classroom and spotted Chieko sitting at his desk, laughing with Ushio. He was holding his head on one side, tipping it slightly as he listened to Ushio talk.  
'So, he does like her!' Exclaimed Ayano, popping her head up beside Atsuko's. Atsuko immediately clapped one of her hands over Ayano's mouth.  
'Shut up, he'll hear! But don't worry, he won't for long. My plan's _genius. _Where's Kanami?'  
'Probably sitting alone somewhere; she didn't follow us before. She's so _weird.'  
_Atsuko smirked. 'Oh well. She'll just try to disrupt the plan anyway.'  
'She'd probably just follow you, Atsuko, she's so timid and you're such a great leader.'  
'Maybe. I haven't told you my plan yet, have I?'  
'No, you haven't. Actually, Atsuko, if you don't mind, I'd like to know. You're so clever and I'm sure it will be perfect!'  
Atsuko couldn't resist to such flattery. She tucked a strand of purple hair behind one ear and turned to Ayano. 'We can't discuss it here in case someone overhears. There's still a little while till class starts, and anyway, so what if we're late? Come on, let's find somewhere to talk. Kanami can just miss out.'  
As soon as they had disappeared from sight, Kanami stepped out of the shadows from the far end of the corridor. Her face was red and burning with fury. Not only was Atsuko _actually _thinking up a plan to disrupt Ushio and Chieko's friendship - or maybe even relationship - they were talking about her like _that _whilst she wasn't there to hear! Kanami's hands curled into angry fists as she began walking towards the classroom.  
_I have to tell them quickly!  
_'So then the birds-' Ushio broke off her sentence as she noticed Chieko watching something behind her.  
'There's a girl coming this way, Ush. I think she's that Kanami Satoh.' he said softly, looking back at Ushio. 'I wonder what she wants?' He hoped she wasn't another girl like Atsuko.  
They both watched as she slowly and shyly came up to their desks. 'Um... you're Ushio Okazaki and Chieko Mitsuharu, aren't you?' she asked, looking at the floor in embarrassment. She found it really difficult to speak to people she didn't know, but this was important.  
'Yes, we are.' said Chieko, sitting up straight and narrowing his eyes at her. 'What is it?'  
'Hey, Chieko, don't be so stand-offish, she seems like a nice person.' said Ushio, glancing curiously at Chieko whose face turned slightly red.  
'Sorry,' he mumbled. Kanami giggled slightly.  
'You two are a really sweet couple,' she said, looking up at them.  
Ushio and Chieko both almost jumped out of their seats, and Ushio looked away, blushing. 'C-couple...?'  
'Oh, sorry, did I say something wrong?' asked Kanami, her face falling. 'I just thought...'  
'N-no, it's okay,' said Ushio, looking back up and putting a smile onto her face. She glanced at Chieko, who was looking at her, but his eyes quickly darted away as soon as they met with hers. 'What did you want to talk to us about, Satoh?'  
'Oh, yes!' Cried Kanami, suddenly feeling determined, even if not brave. 'My friend - not that she's my friend anymore - uuum, well, fancies Mitsuharu.'  
'Ugh, it's that Sone, isn't it?' asked Chieko, putting his face in his hands. 'I don't know why you're friends with her, really. But I know that already. Thanks for telling me though.'  
'N-no, that's not it!' Exclaimed Kanami. She needed to explain properly or something terrible was going to happen, and she knew it. 'Firstly, as I said, I'm not her friend anymore. I realised how horrible she is. But what I really came to tell you is that she and Ayano are going to try to break you up! If you're not going out already, then she's at least going to try and stop you from being friends.'  
Chieko slumped to the table. 'I knew something like this was going to happen.'  
'Huh? Chieko, Sone likes you? How did you...' Ushio furrowed her eyebrows, confused.  
'I wasn't going to tell you, because I thought it was nothing too big, but...' Chieko explained what had happened that morning. Ushio listened in anger the whole time, and even though she knew Chieko didn't feel the same way about Sone, she couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.  
'That little brat,' Ushio muttered.  
'I know right?' agreed Chieko. 'Do you know what their plans are, Satoh?'  
'No,' replied Kanami, 'but all I can say is don't believe anything she says today or anything she does. She has some sort of plan; I heard she and Ayano talking about it outside.'  
'Right!' Said Ushio, nodding her head. 'Thank you so much for giving us a heads-up, Satoh. You can come and hang out with us at any time if you want to!'  
'Really?' asked Kanami disbelievingly, her eyes shining. 'The only friends I really have are Atsuko and Ayano, I'd be so glad if I could be friends with you!'  
'I'm sure that would be fine! Right, Chieko?'  
Chieko thought for a second. He would miss it just being him and Ushio, but Kanami had been really helpful, and he didn't want to upset either of them. After a minute's contemplation he grinned and replied, 'Yes, of course. You've helped us out of a lot of trouble, Satoh. Thank you.'  
Kanami nodded happily. 'Class is about to start. I'd better head to my seat.'  
Once she had left, Ushio looked over at Chieko. 'Isn't that the second of their friends that Ayano and Atsuko have lost?' asked Ushio, tilting her head and thinking. 'Wasn't there that big thing with Emi Bandai last semester?'  
'Yeah, I think so,' replied Chieko. 'Their loss. I bet they split from each other soon, too. Then they'll just be on their own. And since nobody likes them, they'll get a taste of their own medicine, I suppose.'  
Ushio nodded. Chieko gazed over at her as she tapped a pen on the desk, staring at the front of the classroom. _Maybe now would be a good time? _he thought.  
'Hey, Ushi-'  
'Now, class, it's time to begin!'  
Chieko rolled his eyes and turned to face the teacher. Would he ever be able to ask her?

* * *

**This is kind of a part one to this chapter since I'm putting the events that happen in the rest of the day in the next chapter. I would've put them in this one but then it probably wouldn't be uploaded until next week...  
Thanks for reading again!  
~LilsNightlock**


End file.
